| abstract: |
In DynICP, we propose to develop an advanced, portable prototype of a non-invasive intracranial dynamic pressure (dynamic ICP) diagnosing and monitoring device which can be used at hospitals, point of care as well as at home. This device will consist of a wearable head gear capable of precise positioning of two ultrasonic transducers, software and hardware for dynamic ICP analysis and data communication that can be used to connect the device to hospital patient monitoring systems.
ICP monitoring is crucial for surveillance of patients with dementia, chronic headache, hydrocephalus, head injury, stroke, brain tumours and other brain diseases; for diagnostic purposes to determine the optimum treatment and for monitoring of effects of treatment. However, despite the fact that ICP monitoring has been available for the past 60 or so years, all currently available options rely on invasive placement of ICP probe in the patient cerebral spinal fluid, thus reducing its use to the intensive care units or hospital wards as a result, less than 100,000 patients receive ICP monitoring in the EU each year.
Meanwhile, each year estimated 40Mn EU citizens suffer from chronic headaches, dementia, head injuries, strokes and brain tumours. These citizens would greatly benefit from the portable, non-invasive ICP monitoring. Thus, the number of Europeans who could benefit from ICP monitoring as a result of DynICP project may increase by a factor of 400, from 100,000 to 40 Mn per year; a similar expansion in the number of patients benefiting from an innovative non-invasive technology was seen almost a hundred years ago when non-invasive arterial blood monitoring (ABP) systems were introduced. |
